![]() ![]() "That means both at the Osborne naval shipyard in Adelaide, but also at Henderson in Perth. Need for Australia to maintain a continuous shipbuilding capability in this country". Mr Marles says the DSR "makes really clear the The Defence Minister is asked what assurances the government can give local industry. But the review indicates that there's a need to consider the broader issues in that context." And they have done an extraordinary job and will continue to do so. ![]() "We need to, as a government, and as a nation, work out an appropriate response and the review is really indicating very clearly that the context can't be just saying 'Oh, well, we'll rely upon the Defence Force'.Īre always very willing to participate, it must be said. "As a result of this review and the transparency in which we've conducted it, obviously, there will need to be further consideration of how we deal with these natural disasters," he says. Mr Albanese says "the role of the Australian Defence Force is primarily not to deal with our natural disasters and those domestic issues". The report suggests that state and local governments and the Commonwealth should put in the plans, resources and capabilities to do this separately to Defence. The PM is asked about sections of the report which were critical of the increasing use of the Defence Force for domestic disaster responses, such as bushfires, floods and COVID. ![]() "We thank those who have done that in the past, but we also honour those who have done it today." "Tomorrow, of course, we will commemorate through Anzac Day, all of those men and women who serve in uniform, to defend our nation, to defend our sovereignty and our freedom," he said. "There will need to be further consideration of how we deal with these natural disasters."Īlbanese said he was confident Australia was right to re-posture, and paid credit to those who helped prepare the review. "We know that one of the national security issues we are dealing with is climate change," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. It said state and local government must be prepared to respond to "all but the most extreme domestic disaster" themselves, with Defence available as a last resort, or else it threatened to detract from its "primary objective": defending Australia. The review warned that the acceleration of climate change risked "overwhelming" Defence, as nations increasingly grew reliant on defence forces for disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. I want to go back and unpack a topic which was mentioned during the press conference about the Australian Defence Force's response during natural disasters. Time is another luxury we might not have right now. One more thing: building up local manufacturing expertise is also time consuming. The reality is that Australia can only get its hands on the latest technology through agreements with friends and allies - and primarily the United States. The government has made it clear it wants to build up our self-reliance on multiple fronts, and that includes building up our own domestic defence industry.īut there are also limits to what Australia can do on its own, particularly as the pace of military technological progress continues to pick up. It's absolutely true that Australia's supply chains are vulnerable, and our distance from close allies like the United States makes our position even more perilous.Īs you mention, experts have long raised the alarm about the nation's fuel reserves, which are clearly inadequate. Thanks for the question Carl, we've put it to to the ABC's foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic. So, are the solutions outlined in the report really adequate for our defence? The review has noted that insufficient warning time is likely to be available to develop those in-country manufacturing and support capabilities. So, basing our defence on high tech solutions that we cannot manufacture and support in-country will only provide a short term solution at best. ![]() Shipping lanes may well be blocked, so our minimal fuel reserves will quickly be exhausted. The Ukraine war has demonstrated that our allies have limited weapon stocks and munition stock for even a restricted conflict. Australia could well be on its own in a major conflict. ![]()
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